Wednesday, April 04, 2018

Depression- from a good article I read







What struck me from a study, below the headline, was another of it’s findings: that talking therapies are equally as effective at treating moderate to severe depression. I've certainly found that being open about my mental health - not just to professionals, but also people I trust - has been an incalculable force for good'in my life. Whether you're on medication or not, we should all be talking about feelings more. 
We should talk about them as much as we talk about Brexit or Blue Planet II. 

Because, at first, it feels impossible. 

Sadness can wall you in and seem too vast to communicate. 
I remember trying to explain that to someone; to talk about my inability to talk. 
I felt like a robot, taking off his breastplate to reveal the fizzing, severed wires inside and a voided warranty stamp that simply read "All Broken". 
But there are good reasons to keep trying. 

First, the act of being honest with yourself, while altering nothing externally, will change absolutely everything. Being a fugitive from your own truth gives you no place to be at ease. 

Second, being honest with people in your life is a generous act. 
They will feel closer to you and better able to help. It also gives them a chance to be open with you. 
All my most important relationships have deepened, in work, friendship and love, after talking honestly about feelings. 
Even the ones I'm ashamed of. 
Especially those. 

It's astonishing how many people can be down there with you. 

Since writing about my depression, strangers have written to me to share their experiences. 
It can be overwhelming to confront how much unhappiness we're swimming in. 
There are no magic bullets. 
But the connection that comes from expressing the problem feels like a big part of the answer.




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